Golf club



Mar; 13, 1923. H. J. KINSMAN GOLF CLUB Filed Aug. 29, 1921 Patented Mar. 13, 1923.

Leaf,

HAROLD JOHN KINSMAN, OF FALMOUTH, ENGLAND.

GOLF CLUB.

Application filed August 29, 1921.

Serial No. 496,216.

(GRANTED UNDER THE PROVISIONS OF THE ACT OF MARCH 3, 1921, 41 STAT. L., 1313.)

1 '0 all whom it may concern.

lie it known that I, HARoLn JoHN KINS- MAN. a subject of the King of England, residing at Tredourva, Melville Road, Falmouth, England, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in (iolf Clubs (for which I have filed an application in Eng land, 17th February, 1920, Patent No. 162,-

' vention the handle shaft is tapered or reduced in thickness from about the middle towards the free or handle end and the consequent reduction in weight is compensated for by applying additional weight at the free end of the handle. It has also been proposed to provide a golf club having a shaft" of the usual form with a grip of resilient material moulded to the shape of the hands, and to form indentations of the position of the fingers, thumbs and palms of the hands on the handle. According to another feature of the present invention, however, the grip is improved by thickening the handle (where the wood has been reduced in thickness as aforesaid) by resilient material applied to produce an annular gap or groove around it near the free end, which free end -may be enclosed by a rubber cap. Preferably the resilient material used is wool felt of substantial thickness applied in two or more pieces to produce the annular gap or groove, but a sleeve of rubber, cork, leather,

1 felt or the like in one piece formed, with the required annular gap or groove may be used to provide the resilient material and the thickening of the handle at the desired place.

In the accompanying drawings Figure 1 is an elevation of a-driver according to the present invention.

Figure 2 is a view similar to Figure 1' showing the handle in longitudinal section.

Figure 3 is an elevation illustrating a,

modified form of handle grip.

Like reference numerals indicate like parts throughout the drawings.

In carrying out the present invention the shaft 1 of the golf club is'tapered or re-' duced inthickness from the middle portion towards the free end, as indicated more clearly in Figure 2. This taper from the middle to the free end is opposite to the usual taper in the shaft when it has been made with its thickest portion at the free end and its thinnest portion at or about the junction of shaft and head. The shaft according to the present invention, however, is thickest at or about the middle portion and tapers down to a thinner part at each end. The reduction in thickness may either be effected evenly so that the circular form in cross-section of the shaft is preserved, or the wood may be removed from two or more sides of the shaft.

When the shaft 1 is spliced to the head 2 as in a driver or like wooden club, the binding employed is preferably that known as open binding as shown at 3 in Figures 1 andQ. the binding comprising a series of groups of close turns separated by gaps of the desired width.

Each group of closebindings may consist of the desired number of turns combined with half hitches the whole being preferably made from one length of twine carried across the gaps between the groups of close bindlngs.

In order to compensate for the weight of wood removed in tapering the free end of the shaft 1 extra weight is provided, preferably by attaching a sleeve, ring or the like 4 (Figure 2) of lead or other. suitable material at or near the free end of the shaft 1. The shaft end is preferably recessed. as shown in Figure 2 to receive the weight 4, so that the provision of the latter does not materially increase the thickness of the shaft.

The handle portion of the shaft is thickened by resilient material applied to produce an annular gap or groove around it near the free end. In' the construction illustrated in Figure 2 the resilient material is in the vform of wool felt, one piece of which 5 surrounds the, extreme end of the shaft 1 vgroove 7 around the handle.

about one sixth of an inch, and the space between them provides an annular gap or Both pieces of felt 5 and 8 as well as the remaining part of. the handle proper are covered by the usual leather or rubber strip 8, and if desired an internal layer of linen or the like may be provided around the shaft between it and the felt and between it and the strip of leather, or rubber.

'lhe resilient material not only provides, a grip by compensating for the slenderness of the shaft but also fprms a purchase for the three fingers of the upper hand particularly and the remaining fingers of both hands. The gap 7 is more or less filled, when the club is grasped by the little finger of the upper hand, the remaining fingers grasping the shaft beside it. Both pieces of resilient material may be glued in position and if desired the piece 5 which covers the weight 4 may be enclosed by a rubber cap.

Instead of building up the grip by separate pieces of resilient material as described above, the handle or grip portion of the shaft may be made of cork, rubber, leather, felt or the like,shaped to provide the thicker portions of resilient material 5 and 6 and the gap 7 as indicated in Figure 3. lin this case the shaped sleeve may be applied and secured to the shaft without the use of'the leather strip 8.

What ll claim and desire to obtain by Letters Patent is:

1. A golf club in which the handle shaft is tapered in thickness from about the middle towards the handle end and additional weight compensating for the weight removed in producing such taper is applied at the free end of the handle substantially as specified.

D 2. A golf club in which the handle shaft is tapered in thickness from about the middle towards the handle end, the shaft is spliced to the head and bound with open binding substantially as specified.

ear/"nee 3. A golf club in which the handle shaft istapered in thickness from about the middle towards the handle end and additional weight compensating for the weight removed in producing such taper is applied at the free end of the handle which is thickened by resilient material applied to produce an annular groove around it near the free end substantially as specified.

d. A golf club in which the handle shaft is tapered in thickness from about the middle towards the handle end and additional weight compensating for the weight removed in producing such taper is applied at the free end of the handle which is thickened by resilient material applied to produce an annular groove around it near the free end with a rubber cap enclosing the free end substantially as specified.

5. A golf club in which the handle shaft is tapered in thickness from about the middle towards the handle end and additional weight compensating for the weight removed in producing such taper is applied at the free end of the handle which is thick ened by wool felt of substantial thickness applied to produce an annular groove around it near the free end substantially as specified.

6. A golf club in which the handle is ta pered in thickness from about the middle towards the handle end and additional weight compensating for the weight removed in producing such taper is applied at the free end of the handle which is thickened by resilient material formed with an annular groove and applied in the form of sleeve in one piece substantially as'speci- In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

HARULD Joint must/ran.

Witnesses:

ll". Annrnn, KATHLEEN WYATT. 

